Countermeasures
The New York Police Department (NYPD) announced last week the agency will be launching an Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) program, which will be comprised of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), or drones, and the licensed NYPD officers in the Technical Assistance Response Unit (TARU) who will operate... Read More »
While electromagnetic pulses (EMP) are often devastating to the survival capabilities of various electronic devices, Sandia National Laboratories has been conducting tests on an EMP generator to determine the effects and capabilities of various devices.
The ElectroMagnetic Environment Simulator... Read More »
Sens. Mike Rounds (R-SD), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), John Kennedy (R-LA) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) introduced last week a bill that would fully fund the border wall southern section.
The four legislators said the WALL Act also serves as the first bill that will fund the wall by identifying specific funding... Read More »
Sens. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) recently introduced a bill designed to bolster cybersecurity efforts by requiring a cyber-vulnerabilities disclosure program (VDP) to address deficiencies.
The Public-Private Cybersecurity Cooperation Act would require the Department of Homeland... Read More »
BAE Systems recently was awarded two indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts totaling more than $150 million with the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD).
Both contracts support the sustainment and rapid integration of command, control, communications, computers,... Read More »
GeoNorth Information Systems (GNIS), in collaboration with the University of Alaska and Lockheed Martin, will survey the Arctic region under contract with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency for the next five years.
The $15-million contract will see Lockheed Martin’s scalable... Read More »
The Senate advanced Wednesday the Asia Reassurance Initiative Act of 2018 (ARIA), which serves as a policy framework to enhance American leadership in the Indo-Pacific region.
The measure, authored by Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Ed Markey (D-MA), Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Ben Cardin (D-MD), also... Read More »
Six U.S. senators introduced a resolution Wednesday that holds Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman accountable for contributing for a variety of actions including the unjustified killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Sens. Chris Coons (D-DE), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Lindsey Graham... Read More »
U.S. Reps Jim Langevin (D-RI) and Glenn Thompson (R-PA), introduced legislation Monday that provides resources to develop cybersecurity education programs at technical schools.
The Cybersecurity Education Integration Act would establish a competitive grant program to add cybersecurity into new... Read More »
A coalition of national organizations representing public health, healthcare providers, biotechnology companies, and researchers this week urged congressional leaders to swiftly approve the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation (PAHPAI) Act of 2018 before Congress adjourns... Read More »
The Transportation Security Administration released Tuesday its first Cybersecurity Roadmap, a guide that prioritizes the administration’s cybersecurity efforts.
The guide highlights efforts both within the TSA and the transportation systems sector. It is part of the 2018-2026 TSA Strategy... Read More »
U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) announced Tuesday his support for criminal justice reform legislation recently proposed in Congress.
The First Step Act (S.3649) would reduce federal recidivism and crime, prepare inmates for a successful return to society, enhance prison security and officer safety,... Read More »
More than 20 scientists from five continents led by Montana State University will study bats in Australia, Bangladesh, Madagascar, and Ghana to research disease prevention.
Scientists hope to uncover the complex causes of bat-borne viruses and what has led them to jump to humans, fueling... Read More »
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau affirmed another 10 million Canadian dollars for the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) this week, in an effort to bolster the development of vaccines.
The announcement was made following the recent G20 summit and supports that body’s... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is reaching out to startups as a means of bolstering anti-forgery and counterfeiting capabilities for digital documentation.
The request is being made through a new solicitation, “Preventing Forgery and... Read More »
Army Sgt. First Class Ikaika Erik Kang has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).
Officials said Kang, 35, formerly stationed at Schofield Barracks, was sentenced to 240 months on Counts 2, 3 and 4 to run... Read More »
Teams from 14 colleges and universities throughout the United States competed this week as part of the Department of Energy CyberForce Competition held at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) campus.
The competition marks the second held at the PNNL campus. Students had to build and... Read More »
The Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health (CVD) at the Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) and Groupe de Recherche Action en Santé (GRAS) are launching a vaccine study in Burkina Faso, focused on a typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV).
The study represents their second effort in the area... Read More »
A new report released by the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) and Moscow-based Center for Energy and Security Studies (CENESS) maintains that sustained regional dialogue is essential to addressing Central Asia's radioactive source security challenges.
“Largely as a result of poor... Read More »
The Coast Guard Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) Program, in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently launched two 6U CubeSats as a means of evaluating the effectiveness of space-based sensors in support of... Read More »
Boeing’s KC-46 tanker program recently completed planned Phase II receiver certification flight tests.
The certification comes after three weeks of flights with F-15E aircraft from Edwards Air Force Base in California. Testing began in April with Boeing and U.S. Air Force KC-46 crews... Read More »
Several U.S. senators have expressed concern with President Donald Trump expressed intention to pull the United States out of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty.
The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is an arms control agreement between the United States and Russia, then... Read More »
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) successfully conducted a test of the Squad X Experimentation program last week, pairing Army and Marine units with autonomous technology.
Squad X involves an integrated system that boosted the coordination, threat detection and combat... Read More »
AAR recently secured a five-year, $51 million U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) contract to perform support services for Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation System Boeing 737 series aircraft.
The agreement covers maintenance and logistical work for the Justice Prisoner and Alien Transportation... Read More »
House lawmakers recently advanced the Federal CIO Authorization Act of 2018, which officials said strengthens national cybersecurity by elevating and reauthorizing the role of the Federal Chief Information Officer (CIO).
House IT Subcommittee Chair Will Hurd (R-TX) and Ranking Member Robin Kelly... Read More »
Andrew Scharnweber, a 22-year veteran of the U.S. Border Patrol, was selected in late November as Deputy Chief Patrol Agent for the agency’s Buffalo sector.
That new authority makes him one of the top figures governing the security of New York’s and Pennsylvania’s ports of entry. It also... Read More »
The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) recently launched a multiyear program dedicated to finding solutions to global positioning systems’ (GPS) vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure.
The program will conduct vulnerability and impact assessments,... Read More »
Policy leaders and scientific experts met in November to assess the impact of advances in technology on biological risks and brainstorm new ideas to address them.
The meeting -- sponsored by the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), Oxford University, and Johns Hopkins University -- included... Read More »
Walter Weaver was selected Nov. 29 as the new port director for the Port of Progreso.
Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Office of Field Operations, Laredo Field Office officials announced the selection at a change of command ceremony held at the Donna North High School Auditorium, in Donna,... Read More »
Researchers from the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine have generated six antibodies that could be used to test for and potentially treat the Zika virus.
To date, the mosquito-borne disease has afflicted more than 1.5 million people worldwide, but there is no effective vaccine... Read More »
The U.S. Air Force completed field testing last month of an improved chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) protective mask for crews on rotary wing aircraft.
The Joint Service Aircrew Mask – Rotary Wing replaces the Aircrew Eye and Respiratory Protection system on HH-60G Pave... Read More »
A group of U.S. Senators recently introduced legislation that would stop the United States from entering into a 21st Century nuclear arms race.
The Prevention of Arms Race Act of 2018 is sponsored by Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Edward Markey... Read More »
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) is urging progression toward the Navy meeting its goal of a 355-ship fleet, which became policy when President Donald Trump signed the Securing the Homeland by Increasing our Power on the Seas (SHIPS) Act into law last year.
Wicker, chairman of the Senate Seapower... Read More »
Federal officials are pushing for the Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act of 2018 (PAHPA), which was approved by the U.S. House of Representatives in September, to be signed into law this year.
In a discussion on Wednesday hosted by the Alliance for Biosecurity... Read More »
A group of lawmakers recently praised the House advancement of legislation designed to reduce worldwide violence, enhance engagement, and address instability in other countries.
Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX), Eliot L. Engel (D-NY), Ted Poe (R-TX), Adam Smith (D-WA) and Bill Keating (D-MA) said the... Read More »
